Everything is connected to everything else. Quantum mechanics propounds that every particle is connected to every other particle in the universe. As a result, each particle has the ability to influence all other particles. The world we live in is like a living organism. At any given point in time, any one part affects every other part. This is experienced at the micro level and at the macro level.
In our body, when we have pain, the whole system is influenced at all levels—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The family is a system where the state of one member influences the rest of the family. A change in one member’s health or emotions will affect the rest. The health of the community or society is measured by the health and well-being of all individuals and groups within that society.
Every particle in the universe is fundamentally energy. It is this energy, this consciousness that is influenced by or influences everything. The ancients recognised that consciousness pervades all of creation. Nature, in all her forms, was personified and deified. Nature was worshipped and revered. The sun and the moon were accepted as living gods and valued for their energy. The plant and animal kingdoms were respected for their abundance and sustenance. Beyond form, the vitality and essence of nature, of creation, were valued. People lived in harmony with nature and understood their place within the whole.
We are now realising the devastation that can be unintentionally unleashed when we change one aspect of the environment without considering the impact on the whole. There’s a phenomenon called the “Butterfly Effect,” which emphasises that when just one miniscule aspect of creation is changed, the rest of creation gets completely altered.
Astrology, in fact, is the understanding of the universe’s oneness and describes the relationship between the individual and the cosmos. The astrological birth chart is the blueprint of the cosmos at the time of one’s birth. The moment of birth, more or less, predicts and influences the way our life and personality unfolds.
Our entire potential for this lifetime is said to be packed into that one moment. However, the degree to which we are influenced by the moment of our birth depends upon our level of awareness about our relationship with the cosmos. The more aware we are of our true nature, the more choices we have in every moment. We can either be bound by the destiny predicted by the chart, or we can choose to move beyond these limitations.
Change and flux in life is continuous. Change sometimes appears erratic, but if one looks deeper, patterns can be found. The entire universe has a rhythm, from the orbit of an electron within an atom to the beating of the heart. From the movement of the tides to the orbits of the planets around the sun, all things have a cyclical pattern within time. It is these rhythms in life, the patterns that keep occurring daily, seasonally, and even from lifetime to lifetime, that can either bind us to recurring behaviours or support us to grow beyond our limitations.
There are four different levels of freedom, depending on how aware we are. Most of us experience reality only as that which is known by the senses. At this level, the least freedom is experienced. When we attach to sense objects, we also attach to time. We are seemingly helpless in the face of life events. We reel from moment to moment, from event to event. Most people are caught up in the illusion that sense objects are permanent in nature and will provide everlasting pleasure. All that can be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled is temporary. Since sense objects are temporary, they can never be completely satisfying. Thus, at the first level, people remain entangled with the external world, unaware of the intangible aspect of life and the freedom within.
As awareness expands beyond the senses, more freedom is experienced. One realises that not only does the external world influence the individual, but the opposite is also true. Now one starts becoming aware of how time can be used to one’s advantage. Unlike the first level, one is interested in knowing one’s destiny.
The focus is still on money, power, health, and relationships with others. Hence, the individual makes limited choices and so experiences limited benefits. Rituals and tools (mantras, yantras, and tantra) are used for personal gain at this level of awareness.
In Sanskrit, astrology is called jyotish, or divine light, and an astrologer is called a jyotishi, or the one who is aware of the divine light. In other words, an astrologer was considered a highly aware or enlightened person. Hence, when people came to the astrological pundits for advice or remedies, they were often provided with ritualistic remedies along with higher teachings about life. However, the tyranny of time has its own way of making us wiser. Thus, people would realise through different experiences over time, and as their awareness expanded, that the goal of life was larger than their own small desires. Once a reality beyond the senses opened up, they would start to understand the possibility of a spiritual reality beyond the material world. When people’s awareness shifted from the outer to the inner world, their whole relationship to time transformed and they accessed the third level of awareness.
The more still one is the more one realises that one is connected to all that exists, in this very moment. One is the switch, the cause of it all. The sun, the moon, the planets, and galaxies are within the all-pervading consciousness. As soon as one realises this, one is free from the tyranny of time. In fact, time and space cease to exist for the enlightened. One transcends time and space; this is the highest awareness.
One resonates with the rhythms of nature. A rare few in this world have such power. It is a sign of having transcended time. Such souls live as if completely ruled by destiny they appear no different from those at the lowest level of awareness in their daily activities within the world.
It is believed that the truly enlightened jyotishis can transform destiny. But they rarely choose to do so. If they do, it would only be to serve the highest interests of humanity.
Captain Deepam Chatterjee (Retired) has recently written The Millennial Yogi published by Penguin Random House India.